How far do YOU drive it?

[Jeff_Brauer]

We always talk about the top drives on tour.  The average drive is still about 290. I know some Tour players who hit it about 280. I know some guys who tried Q school who say pros don't hit it as far as we think, save the days when they are really on.

I also know from studying scale maps and aerial photos, and research by Frank Thomas that most of us overestimate how far we hit the ball by a lot.

It leaves the question of how far do most courses put bunkers (save some give and take, and adjusted for wind, etc.) for good, but just under Tour Pro level.

Speaking of being really on, my drives have lately varied all over the place.

When my swing is grooved I can still get 260. On another day I probably hit the weak fan out about 230 all day.  Every once in a while, I get that miraculous long drive. The other day, on a downwind 379 yard hole, I was 52 from the middle.  Even counting the slight dogleg that I cut over, that's well over 300 yards.

What is your realistic expectation for carry and roll on a typical tee shot,  no wind, not in Colorado, etc.

[Mike Hendren]

240 +/- ten yards.  I hit the ball extremely low and struggle to carry more than 220 yards.

I had an interesting discussion with Lou Graham a few years back on distance.  He indicated that he was not long by tour standards but averaged around 250.  More importantly, he stated that he often drove it 275 but like most pros at the time, routinely thinned or skied drives that only traveled 220 yards, hence the average.

Mike

[Tom Huckaby]

I think Frank Thomas (and you Jeff) are indeed right on:  most people do overestimate how far they hit the ball.  I once had to sit and measure drives for an NCGA purpose, and it was comical how far people REALLY hit it compared to how far they thought they did.  So I have seen this in action.

Therefore I have always tended to go on the low side myself - which of course makes people think I am more of a weakstick than I already know I am.

I can carry a driver 240 if I really catch it.  Roll after that would wholly depend on conditions. 

[Anthony Gray]

     240 for me. I don't carry a 3-wood so sometimes I like to three-quarter my driver off the tee.

[Bill_McBride]

These days I am happy to carry 210.  Old and stiff is not a good recipe for distance.

I was unable to make three of the carries at Tobacco Road which was pretty disheartening. 

But it's still more fun to play than watch!

[John Nixon]

I count on 220ish. Occasionally I actually reach it.

[Matt_Ward]

I'm closer to what Bill said   -- on my best day maybe 220 carry and then some added roll whatever the turf will permit. I need mega fast and firm conditions to get into position on many holes.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Bill,

I find myself looking with more and more admiration at 60 somethings who hit it 2-3 times their age and still appear to be having a whale of a time!

[Greg McMullin]

Jeff, if I hit it solid I carry it 230. If I hit it average 210 -215. Generally I hit it on the low side and roll out depends on conditions and course. I picked the following up somewhere and use it regular - "the older I get the longer I used to be".

[Tom Huckaby]

I'm closer to what Bill said   -- on my best day maybe 220 carry and then some added roll whatever the turf will permit. I need mega fast and firm conditions to get into position on many holes.

I was waiting to see what you would say, if anything, Matt!

And that is good comedy.

So how far do you REALLY hit it?  Come on, average carry.

I'm guessing 280, from reports and your verbiage here.

Which would make you still shorter than Jon Spaulding, btw.

 

[Richard Boult]

I'm always amazed by the distances tour players get from their drives and irons, but then I realize they're not always playing at sea level in cool humid sea air like I am. Any time I make a trip to warmer climates or higher elevations, I "actually" do hit the ball as far as I think I do at sea level. I'm usually 250-270, with the occasional 280-300 drive (following a double bogie or 3-putt on the prior hole).

[Kalen Braley]

He many not chime in here, but John Moore can really golf his ball.

While he's a low ball hitter too, carrying 270 doesn't seem to be much problem for him. 

[John Kavanaugh]

Yesterday I hit five wood into 14, 17 and 18 on holes each measuring near 400 yds.  Earlier in the year I hit wedge into each hole.  Numbers mean nothing.

Why don't we start a thread about the longest drive you have hit on the best course.  I need a brag fix.

[John Kirk]

The last time I bought a new driver, about 3 years ago, I paid to have shots analyzed by one of those strobe cameras that calculate distance.  The results were very reasonable.

On a good swing I'll generate about 100 mph in swing speed, which yields a carry distance of 235-240.  I'd guess there are a few outlier drives that carry 245-250.  In one of the first golf lesson books I ever read, Jack Nicklaus said to only try to hit a big drive a couple times per round, which I still think is very good advice.  Once or twice a round I'll try to "let out shaft".

My average driving distance, including roll, is 240-250.  All things considered, I'll usually hit a couple over 270 each round.

[JSlonis]

Since the fairways at my home course are quite soft a fair amount of the time, I have a good idea of how far I carry the ball...I'd say a fair average would be 275 yds of carry.

It would be fun to play a course set up for a Tour event, without too much rain, those fairways are usually very firm and running like crazy.  There are a lot of bombers out there, but I've always thought driving distances on Tour were artificially high because of that.

[Matt_Ward]

Huck:

I actually went to the 50 inch driver -- before they were banned -- and was getting a max of 230 in the air -- and that was only after I copied my swing motion to replicate the technique Happy Gilmour did on film. It also helped me to sneak a few 1.62 Brit balls to help too !

[Jed Peters]

240-245 in the Air.

Total driving depends on conditions, downwind, downhill, firmness of turf, etc.

[Guy Nicholson]

The good ones seem to carry 220 and roll out around 250 or 260. My dad, who's now 66, still had me by five yards up until a couple of years ago. He hits a reliable draw.

[Ken Moum]

At age 61 and weak, I can't reliably carry a tee shot 200 yards these days.

On the courses I play in KS, that means I rarely get it past 220. The last time I played, I didn't hit one 8 or 9 iron.

On the other hand, given a fast course, I can still hit a low draw that carries 180+ and ends up out there at 240, smetimes more--which explains why I want to move to Scotland.

<G>

Ken

[tlavin]

225-250 is my normal zone.  I'm starting to see a bit of slippage in my distance, but happily enough, I'm hitting more fairways than ever before, so my scoring has actually improved a bit.

[Mike Hendren]

Barney,  I hear you.  I played Idle Hour last week on a 40 degrees day and had metalwoods (including my 7) into EIGHT par fours after decent drives.  I'll profile the course next week but it has some unrelenting long par fours.

Bogey

[Anthony Gray]

  This thread shows again why golf is such a wonderful sport. People of different ages and abilities enjoying the game together on the same playing field. Wonderful.

 Anthony

[Garland Bayley]

Any more my best seem to go about 240, which is down about 25 yards in the last few years.

EDIT: Thought I would add a recent experience. I went to a Golfsmith Ping driver day, where they would fit you free for a driver. On their artificial mats, I could not tee the ball near as low as I usually do so all I did was hit pop ups. The fitter said that was because I had too steep a swing, and suggested I go take lessons to flatten my swing so I could really add distance.

[BVince]

I probably carry the ball around 280-285 averaging around 290, fairways are a different stat

[Brad Tufts]

I'm comfortably 240-250 in carry, then add roll to that.  On a summer day with decently firm conditions, but not rock hard, I would expect 275-280.  Add in the couple slight mis-hits during the round and I bet my avg. is like 260-265...